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High Dwarves
' The High Dwarves' are the Dwarven species that forms the remainder of the once very power Dwarf Kingdom of Karak Ankor . Once the High Dwarves were the only category of Dwarves but when the Greenskins came there was a devision in the Dwarf Race that has never been contained. As the survivors of the original dwarves of Karak Ankor their history remains the history of Karak Ankor, and because of this they retain much similarites with it. It is often said that the High Dwarfs are a race in decline - their once-great empire of Karak Ankor now lies mostly in ruins and many of the Dwarfs' mighty mountain holds have been abandoned or conquered over the years. Despite this, they remain fearsome adversaries in war, with their destructive war machines, mastery of arcane runes and ranks of formidable warriors proving more than capable of standing up to most of the threats they face in the world. Society and Culture An enormously proud people, the Dwarfs are quick to react to any slight, real or imagined, and remember any such infraction for years, even passing on the responsibility of vengeance to their heirs through their Books of Grudges, the greatest of which is the Great Book of Grudges; written in the Dwarf language Khazalid and carried by the leader of all Dwarfs, the High King. It is perhaps because of their obstinate pride that the Dwarfs refuse to ' ' openly admit that their culture is slowly creeping towards its nadir. Inwardly, however, they know that they are a doomed race. This gives them a uniquely dour outlook upon the world and perhaps explains their great fondness for drowning their sorrows in tankard after tankard of ale. It is not uncommon to hear a Dwarf wistfully recall the great glories of the past, observing bitterly that nothing the Dwarfs do in this day and age can compare to the majesty of what once was. In fact, the only thing that the Dwarfs love more than a good mug of ale is gold. A Dwarf in the throes of goldlust is a thing to behold. The race's legendary drive and stamina is brought into sharp relief when they are presented with the opportunity to acquire gold. As miners and experts on ore and metals, the Dwarfs are without peer. Items of Dwarf craftsmanship and engineering are the most valuable in all the world, revered even by the Elves. Dwarfs are defined by their reverence for their past. They construct monumental tombs in order to worship and venerate their ancestors, and their oldest treasures are highly valued in order to respect the craftsman who originally fashioned it and to preserve an element of the continuing Dwarf culture. It is said that when Dwarfs are in any doubt as to how to proceed they look to the Dwarf with the longest beard to tell them what to do. This is invariably the wisest solution. Dwarfs have exceedingly good memories, and live to a very great age: usually upwards of 200 years, often living to 500 and in rare and exceptional cases 1000 - the latter is evident in the case of Rune Lord Kragg the Grim who is literally too stubborn to die. It is the task of any self respecting Dwarf to memorize the names of every Dwarf in their extended family going back many generations to the time their Clan was first founded by a common ancestor. Should a wrong be done to a Dwarf, it is considered to be dealt equally to their Clan and to their ancestors and their unborn descendants, and every other member of the Clan will be duty bound to avenge them. Dwarfs are a proud, stubborn race, who rarely compromise and are never seen to intentionally back down from a fight. This side of their character is epitomised by Dammaz Kron - the Great Book of Grudges – a massive tome written in the blood of the High Kings which recounts all the great wrongs, unpaid debts and deeds of treachery perpetrated against the Dwarf race. Although the grudges listed in the book are occasionally avenged (and in extremely rare cases, partially forgiven - more akin to recompense), Dwarfs on the whole tend to prefer to hold a grudge rather than let bygones be bygones, and certainly never forget a gruge. Indeed, the Dwarf language has no word for forgiveness, but many subtle variations on revenge, recompense and retribution. Religion The religion of the Dwarfs revolves around three major ancestral deities: Grungni , who is said to have first taught to the Dwarfs the skills of stonecraft and smithing; Valaya , who protects the Dwarf race from harm; and Grimnir , the warrior god worshipped mainly by Slayers and to a lesser extent other warriors. Clans Amongst the High Dwarves their are various Clans, and of these clans some of them are so numerous that they are known as High Clans. *Ekrundian *Northern *Iron Dwarves History Early History War of Vengeance Fall of Karak Ankor By far the greatest and most vengeful of the grudges held in Dammaz Kron are against the Grobi – Khazalid for Goblins – and those who aided them. Page after page of the tome records in grim detail the events of the thousand year long period of Dwarven history when the tribes of Goblins swarmed over the Worlds Edge Mountains inflicting unthinkable suffering on the Dwarf kingdoms. Earthquakes, eruptions and floods weakened the impregnable defences of their strongholds, and when the Goblins attacked not even the unbreakable axes and hammers of the Dwarfs were able to stop the never ending tide of greenskins and skaven from overrunning their holds. Karak Ankor was shattered as countless beleaguered outposts, settlements, mines and temples were destroyed and occupied by their enemies. Among the grudges in Dammaz Kron, the most grievous losses ever suffered by the Dwarfs occurred at the hands of the Grobi , the Skaven , and the Orcs as entire kingdoms were destroyed. The loss of these treasured holds is still felt by every living Dwarf as though it happened yesterday, and all Dwarfs dream of the day when they can purge the greenskin filth from their ancient halls forever. Present Day Noteable Members Brazen Ironflagger See Also : Brazen Ironflagger Brazen Ironflagger is the High King of Karak Ankor , and in this position he has fought at the mainstray of the Dwarven armies for hundreds of years. He was once a very upbeat and positive person, but as he watched the Empire collapse underneath him he has become more depressed, and prone to angry outbursts at outsiders. He is unquestioning in his love for the Dwarves, but he strongly blames the Numeron for the plight of his people, and this has led to an overall increasing amount of Isolasionism in Karak Ankor under his reign. Born during the age of the Numenorians he watched as the humans imploded and engaged in the visious war, and through this he begin to heavily support the Teutons in their attempt to gain independance. Following this war he became completely overcome by the war against the Skaven, and the Goblins who begin to overwhelm Karak Ankor. For centuries he attempted to hold them off but watched as Hold after Hold fell to his enemies. He would command a massive counter attack all across the Empire and it was only this that allowed the surviving holds to survive the massive flood of Skaven and Goblins that had become basically an infestation. When the invasions slowed he has attempted to regrow the armies of Karak Ankor so that they can retake the Empire that was stolen from them. Kurden Bronzebeard See Also : Kurden Bronzebeard ' Kurden Bronzebeard' is the Lord of the Dwarven Hold ofEkrund . Kurden is the leader of the Ekrundian clan of High Dwarves. As the oldest member of the Bronzebeard Clan upon the death of the previous king of Ekrund he was named the King and has married his cousin Jaela Bronzebeard and together the two have three children in the form of Tauren, Logan, and Hjalmer Bronzebeard of which his son Logan is the current heir to the Kingship of Ekrund. Kurden Bronzebeard is counted on by the High King of Karak Ankor as one of the most loyal members of the Empire, and in this position he has fought at the side of the High King in regards to every conflict he has fought. During the Battle of Ekrund he led the breakthrough which finally forced the Skaen to abandon their holdings in Ekrund and pull themseles backwards. Since his rise to King of Ekrund he has been solely focused on making sure that the entire Hold is continuesly expanding its defences, and in return the Skaven are haven more and more trouble in getting any headway in the battle for Ekrund. He has become involved in a rather tough fight with his old friend from the Iron Dwarves clan. Dagus Tharassian See Also : Dagus Tharassian Dagus Tharassian is the Lord of the Dwarven Hold of Karak Azul, and he also the leader of the High Dwarven clan of the Iron Dwarves. His loyalty is unquestioning to Karak Azul, but there have been questions in his life about his commitment to Karak Ankor, and many wonder openely if he would still remain in Karak Ankor if Karak Azul wasn't so close to Karaz-A-Karak. Dagus Tharassian is incredibly old, and he was alive during the time of the Dwarves exodus south into Europe, and he is said to be one of a handful who were alive to actually meet the Dwarf Gods. This ancient age means that he was born during the exodus and during this time he was the son of the leader of the Iron Dwarves of whom he loved deeply. His father would die during the time that the Dwarven Gods were killed, and because of this he became distant from the gods that he believed had caused the death of his father. During the War of Vengeance he grudgingly led the forces of Karak Azul against the Elves but he was constantly taking part in safe fights that left very little chance of heavy casualties. Category:Karak Ankor Category:World Edge Mountains Category:Dwarves